Doumeki Gets A Haircut
by PsychicDreams
Summary: Doumeki gets a haircut.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own or have any claim to xxxholic

"…"

"…"

"I hate your hair."

Doumeki blinked and looked up into the annoyed sapphire gaze of one spirit-detector extraordinaire. "Excuse me?"

Watanuki frowned and crossed his arms. Himawari hadn't joined them at lunch and he'd been ranting for almost the entire break about all the bad things he could find in Doumeki, but the damn archer hadn't even been paying attention. It was then that he realized Doumeki's hair was getting very long and falling over his eyebrows. Instead of appearing as roguish as it usually did though, it was just looking ratty now.

"I hate your hair," he repeated as if the archer was a very slow child. "It's all…stringy and…bad."

His rival blinked slowly at his admittedly not all that eloquent statement and reached up to finger his hair. "Seems fine to me." He tossed his hair in an unconscious twitch to get it from his eyes and went back to cleaning up the lunch box that Watanuki had laboriously made for him.

"Well, I hate it and if I _have_ to be stuck seeing you, I don't want to see it. Go get it cut," he demanded and went back to eating as if that was the end of the discussion.

After a moment's pause. "No."

Watanuki almost choked on his food and whirled to glare at Doumeki, who wasn't fazed in the slightly. "And why not?!"

"I hate hair salons."

"Then who cuts your damn hair every year?!"

"My grandmother. I don't trust hair salons."

"Gah!" His hands clutched his own hair, his head feeling ready to explode. Doumeki was really pressing his admittedly short patience today. "Then get your grandmother to cut your hair again!"

"She can't."

"Why not?!"

"She's out of town on a hospital trip. Her hands have been shaking so badly that she can't hold a lot of stuff without dropping it."

Suddenly Watanuki felt horrible. Doumeki's expression hadn't changed, as if he weren't worried, but who wouldn't be when their only close family member was in the hospital? His indignant sapphire eyes suddenly softened and darkened with sadness and self-reproach. "Why an out of town hospital?"

"There's a specialist that my grandfather helped that she knows. She thinks its Parkinson's disease."

Admittedly, Watanuki didn't know much about the various sorts of diseases one could get in one's lifetime, but he had heard about Parkinson's. It was a degenerative disease that made the signals of the brain send wrong to the muscles. Moreover, as far as he knew, there was no cure for it and the treatment was rather costly.

Doumeki didn't say anything for the rest of the lunch about his grandmother and Watanuki felt so guilty about bringing it that he couldn't find his voice until the bell rang, signaling time to return to classes. It was when the archer was walking away that his resolve firmed.

"Hey, wait."

The boy turned around and looked at him expectantly, even if his expression didn't change. His hand shook a little when those golden eyes touched his and he covered it by picking up the lunch boxes and gathering his stuff. "Come by my apartment after work."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" he hissed, but there was no anger in his voice. Doumeki merely shrugged and nodded, like he had figured he would, and he watched that strong, wide back retreat from him.

****

Watanuki chewed his lip a little and slid the shoji paper door open to where Yuuko was currently idling away her hours drinking sake. She didn't even look up at him as she and the black porkbun toasted for some inane reason and downed their cups. Where the two girls were, he didn't know.

"Ready to go home, Watanuki?"

"Oh…yes, but…"

"Did you need something?" she asked, seeming almost distracted and then for the first time, he noticed there was a chess board between the two of them. Mokona's knight had just captured a white bishop.

"I just…I was wondering if I could borrow some scissors. All the ones I have at home…they're dull."

Her burgundy eyes finally looked up at him and he wished she hadn't, since they were sparking with amusement and he just knew he was going to be teased. He braced himself, clutching his school bag in one hand tightly.

"Oh…? What do you need scissors for?"

"T-to cut something, what else?!" he stuttered, going for the standard, over the top voice to hide his embarrassment.

For a long moment, he thought she was going to tease him some more, but she merely shrugged with that mysterious smile he so hated. "Okay, just bring them back tomorrow."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "This little borrowing…it's going to come out of my pay, isn't it?"

She tapped her chin and shared a secret glance with the black porkbun. "Not necessarily, if you want to give me something in return, something small. A…favor, perhaps."

Watanuki was already jittery enough as it was, so her deviation from her normal behavior only excited him further and he bounced the balls of his feet in nervousness. "What sort of thing?"

"How about this, Watanuki-_kun_: if you trade me the recipe that your father used to make your mother their wedding cake, I won't deduct your pay and you can keep the scissors, since all the ones you have are _dull_. How about that?"

This didn't seem like a fair trade at all, since all of his father's recipes meant so much, much more than just a pair of scissors, even if he got to keep them. It didn't matter that he knew the recipe by heart; it was the principle of the thing. His father had handled and made the recipe himself…one of the few things he had a link to in the past.

"But Yuuko-san!"

"Trust me, Watanuki," she told him with a smile. "These scissors are a little more than normal scissors that are equal in price to such a recipe."

He frowned and was almost tempted to tell her no before he remembered that lunch period he'd had with Doumeki and what he planned to do. His shoulders slumped and he nodded. "Okay, deal."

"Maru, bring me the scissors!"

Somewhere down the hall there came a call of agreement and feet were suddenly running up to him, holding out a pair of silver sheers. It did not appear like normal scissors, quite elegant in fact, and he wondered just what they could do. But he dared not ask Yuuko, in case she demanded even more. Even information you had to pay for with her.

"I'll bring the recipe tomorrow," he said, somewhat dejectedly and turned to leave the room. When his footsteps could be no longer heard, Yuuko turned with a knowing smile to Mokona.

"I said I wanted the recipe; I never said he couldn't have a copy of it, did I?" They both smiled wider. "Besides, it's time for Watanuki to move away from the past a little, don't you agree?"

"Yes! And checkmate!"

"No fair!"

****

Doumeki was waiting for him when he left the gates of Yuuko's shop, the scissors in his school bag. The boy straightened and since he was still carrying his bow in its case, it was obvious that he had just finished club practice.

"Oi. What's this all about?"

"Don't call me 'oi'!" He paused and growled, "Just follow me."

The silence, at least from his end, was tense when they reached his building and he led the archer up the stairs. Doumeki hadn't been in his apartment yet, and he wasn't keen on having the boy he hated rummage around in his stuff, but…what else was he supposed to do?

Watanuki closed the door behind him as they both pulled off their shoes and he pulled Doumeki to the kitchen. He didn't miss those golden eyes studying the rooms and the apartment in general with a thoroughness he envied, even if it was just a glance. Doumeki didn't miss anything, did he?

"Sit down and wait here."

Without waiting to see if Doumeki did what he said, Watanuki dropped his bag on the table and diverted into the bathroom to grab a towel. When he came back, the archer had indeed sat down and was waiting. Damn that boy, did no expression ever cross his face? When Watanuki pulled out the scissors, he could see that the archer was finally getting the intention.

"I don't need a haircut."

"Yes you do, so just sit still and let me do it."

Doumeki eyed him skeptically as Watanuki wrapped the towel around the taller boy's shoulders and stood behind him, measuring as carefully as he could before he cut the strands each time.

"Have you done this before?"

Watanuki didn't answer immediately. "I've done my own, once or twice, when I couldn't go to a salon. It's harder, since the back is awkward, but it can be done. And if I can do my own and look good, I can do yours."

Silence surrounded them, broken only by the snip-snip of the scissors. For some reason, there was a calmness settling around him and none of the usually tense atmosphere seeped into him as it usually did when he was around Doumeki. In fact, it was almost nice to have another human being in his house and doing something as mundane as cutting someone else's hair.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because your hair was looking ratty," he muttered, flushing a little as he moved so he could get Doumeki's bangs and those golden eyes studied him quietly for another long few moments. Black strands fell onto the linoleum floor and into Doumeki's lap, but even after he was finished, which didn't take long, he made sure the archer didn't move.

"Stay. If you move, you'll make more of a mess."

He put the scissors away in a drawer, missing how as soon as he turned and his hand was off it, it glowed ever so faintly. The bespectacled boy went to a small closet and pulled out a broom and dustpan, first getting the hair off the floor. But he didn't put the broom away just yet. Instead, with cheeks flushing brighter red, he brushed off Doumeki's clothes and lap and swept those up as well.

When he was satisfied that he'd gotten all the hair and had the towel washing, he allowed his rival to stand up. "There. You're done."

"Thank you."

He turned away, not liking or understanding why his cheeks were just so red or why he was feeling awkward now with just Doumeki in his apartment. "It's no big deal. It just annoyed me, and I didn't want to have to stare at it, is all." He hadn't cut it all that short and now Doumeki really did look his usual, roguish and handsome self.

_Stop thinking that, Watanuki! It's just Doumeki! I mean, sure, he is handsome, but it's Doumeki!_

"Um…you want some tea before you go?"

For a moment, Doumeki didn't say anything and he turned around. Those eyes were soft and unreadable and he smiled ever so faintly. "Sure."

Maybe his father's recipe wasn't a bad price to pay…he was feeling so very relaxed and safe, something he hadn't felt in a long time, even if Doumeki was around.

"That'd be nice."

Watanuki smiled hesitantly in return and he turned to make the tea. Back in her shop, Yuuko smiled as she stared into scrying water. That went very well…hitsuzen was all well and good, but sometimes it was slow. It never hurt to speed things along, did it?

She chuckled and went back to her chess game.

** End**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own it

Doumeki slid the door closed behind him and listened quietly. He could hear sounds in the kitchen, which meant that his grandmother was back. That was sooner than he would have expected and he left his shoes in the entryway, dropping his school bag in his room before heading toward the kitchen.

"What did the doctor say?"

His grandmother didn't look all that surprised to see him, which in turn, he was not surprised about. She had been married to his grandfather for a very long time. She often said that if it hadn't been for the fact that his grandfather had been alive when he was born, she would have been sure it was reincarnation with how they resembled each other, not only physically but in personality.

"Oh, you got your hair cut, but you don't like salons."

"Someone did it for me after school today." He shrugged but was secretly pleased with it. He would have never expected it from Watanuki. "Anyway, what did the doctor say?"

"He doesn't know yet. He did a few tests and sent the results to a lab to find out conclusively. For now, though, he said to take it easy, which means I won't be cooking for awhile."

Normally Doumeki didn't have any problem with take out food, but he was getting spoiled by Watanuki's cooking. He folded his arms over his chest as an idea came to mind. It would take a lot of convincing to work, but it did two things at once: it got him decent food for dinner for awhile and he got to see his 'rival' more.

"What do you think about getting someone else to cook for us?"

"Eh? You mean that boy who always makes you lunch?"

_Even at this age, she's still as sharp as ever…_ "Yeah. If I can convince him, that is. He's actually a really damn good cook."

"You are welcome to try. You will anyway, whether I agree or not."

He gave a rare grin and turned away. Time to do his homework.

****

"Oi."

"_What_?!"

"I need a favor."

Watanuki looked up in surprise from his lunch and an eyebrow rose in intrigue. Well, it was a good thing that he got the boy off guard with a request, he supposed. He didn't dare expect it to be well received, but this was a good beginning, he supposed.

"What is it?"

"My grandmother got back yesterday afternoon. They don't know the results of the tests yet, but the doctor said she has to take it easy for now and she won't be cooking for awhile."

"And…?"

"I want you to cook for us."

Perhaps it was not the best way to have put it, seeing how Watanuki's face flushed red with rage or how his pretty blue eyes lit up with emotional lightning. He was prepared and the second Watanuki opened his mouth, he had his fingers in ears just in time to weather the storm of insults and indignation he knew had been coming.

"You want me to do _what_?! I already have to make you lunch, work at Yuuko's, make _her_ dinner, then go home and make _myself_ dinner!! What more do you want of me?! You want to chain me to a damn stove for the rest of my sodden life?!"

When he could get a word in edgewise, he whispered softly, "Please, Kimihiro."

Strangely enough, instead of another outburst, Watanuki's cheeks went red and he looked away, as if he was shy. Puzzled, Doumeki took a closer look at the boy next to him. True, he'd never once called him by his first name, but wasn't that a strange reaction? He would have thought just by using the name that it would send Watanuki into a heart attack of fury.

"Fine," the boy muttered and shoved some rice in his mouth, obviously ending the discussion.

Watanuki had never actually met any of Doumeki's relatives before until he'd agreed to make dinner for his rival's grandmother. Really, it hadn't been because he'd called his first name. It was because it was his grandmother. Really.

He sighed and stared out the window of the classroom and played with the mechanical pencil in his hand. It was self-study for this period, but he couldn't study. Today it would be two weeks exactly since he started to go over to the temple to make dinner for Doumeki. The results would be coming in today and it would determine…everything.

Wait, why was he feeling so sad about the fact that maybe he wouldn't be making dinner for them anymore? Wasn't this less work?

Well, no, not really. It was still the same, since he now ate dinner at the temple with Doumeki and his grandmother instead of coming home and making a separate meal. And three out of five times, he'd often end up staying over in a guestroom anyway. More of his stuff had seemed to migrate over to the temple and into that spare room, as if it were his own.

Yuuko had taken to teasing him about it when he'd first started, but she had moved on to other things since then, like she was wont to do. Really, why was he so nervous about the results of the tests? Even if they came back positive, it was said that one could still live a full life with treatment. And she was a really nice woman who treated him almost like another son.

Really, he should never have agreed to this whole making dinner thing because now he was in too deep to back out. _I'm such an idiot…_

"Watanuki-kun."

"Eh? Grandmother?" he asked, looking up from taking off his shoes in the entryway. Doumeki had archery practice and since Yuuko was out of town for the day, he hadn't had to go over there.

"Can I have a minute?"

"Of course."

He followed her into the kitchen and his eye didn't miss on that spotless table letters opened and obviously read. With a closer inspection, it became obvious that they were the results of the tests. He swallowed, watching with trepidation as she slowly sat down in the chair. He had seen for himself in the last two weeks just how badly her hands had begun to shake. She was not a young woman anymore.

"It's positive. I have Parkinson's."

Watanuki sunk into a chair, feeling his heart as if it had been crushed. He really liked this woman and her caring ways. She was always watching her grandson with calm, soft eyes and she exuded a peace of mind he wished he could duplicate in himself. "No…"

"I wanted to tell you first."

"Why?"

"Because I need a favor."

Gee, where had he heard that before? They were definitely related, Doumeki and his grandmother. He had had little choice but to call Doumeki Shizuka when they were at the temple and that seemed to please not only the boy himself but his grandmother. "Don't worry," he reassured her hastily, "I'll still help you make dinner."

"That's very sweet of you, but that wasn't what I was going to ask."

"Eh?"

She smiled indulgently and touched the papers in front of her, as if asking for courage from them. "I'm an old woman now, all of us know this. Even with the treatments, my time is going to come soon, and well…you're the only friend my grandson seems to have, so…I'd like you to stay here with him."

"S-stay here?! As in the temple?" he choked.

"Yes. It would please me greatly if you could move in here to be with him. My grandson has been very happy lately with you cooking dinner and staying here. I've never seen him looking so pleased or happy since his grandfather died."

"He's happy? How could you tell?" Watanuki muttered sarcastically under his breath, but she heard him and laughed kindly.

"I'm his grandmother, I know these things. He really does think of you as a close friend and I would appreciate it if you would stay here with him, now and after I pass on."

Watanuki really had no wish to talk about death. He hated death, as death had taken all his relatives and left him alone and he was constantly faced with spirits and other things dealing with things along the line of death, but he couldn't change the subject. This old woman had a strength of will that belied her aging body.

"I…I will."

"Thank you very much, Watanuki-kun. Now I don't have to worry about my grandson anymore." She smiled again, an expression that he rarely saw ever leave her face. "I'm glad you're here. You keep my grandson focused and you only yell because you care, but also don't hesitate to spoil Shizuka a little. He can be very sweet in return when you do."

The boy flushed deeply red and stuttered to deny it all, but she didn't seem to be listening all that much. She glanced at the clock over the stove. "He'll be home soon. Don't forget to ask him to help you move your stuff in sometime this weekend."

"You mean _I_ have to tell him?" Watanuki stuttered again, choking on air once more.

"Naturally, Watanuki-kun. He would rather hear it from you than me."

"How do you know that?"

"He's my grandson."

Just at that moment, "I'm home" filtered through the air and he could hear the front door opening. Just his luck…

But at least he didn't have to leave this warm older woman and he was still needed by someone.

** End**


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